Pour another Cup
by wubbzy
Summary: She continued to pour herself another cup of tea, unbeknownst to her, the tea level lowering more and more. Advanceshipping. Oneshot. For the Advancers Forum's Advanceshipping Contest.


AN: So this is my contest entry that I wrote for the advanceshipping contest at advancers (website on my profile). Ash and May are older here, so I that's why they're not their ten year old selves here.

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Pokémon.

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_An Advanceshipping Oneshot_

**Author:** _wubbzy_

_Count:_ 1218

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**Pour another Cup**

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_And she just wished it could be continuous._

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Ash opened his door to find a distraught May. She smiled in greeting, but Ash could tell something was wrong by the dullness in her eyes and the strain on her lips. His door was wide open for her to step into as he ushered her in.

"Make yourself at home," he said, walking to the kitchen. May looked around Ash's apartment, still surprised he bought himself an one in Pallet. May's lips formed a smile, looking at a tired Pikachu passed out on the couch. She ended up sitting down herself, subconsciously deciding to pet the rodent pokemon, while Pikachu smiled in his sleep.

"Hey, do you want something to drink? Tea?" he called out as he rummaged through the cabinets.

"Sure, thanks," May responded hypnotically, lost in her thoughts. Ash frowned as he boiled water on his stove, turning the stove on high so it can boil as quickly as possible. Once it was finished, he grabbed two cups, sugar, and the tea kettle, bringing it back to the living room. He took a moment to look at May and her entranced state, curious as to why.

"May?" he questioned, and May snapped out of her state. She stared at Ash, her cheeks painted pink, flustered.

"Sorry about that." May cheekily smiled. "How have you been?"

"I've been pretty good. I've just been training a lot for the time being," Ash said whilst pouring them both a cup of tea. May took a moment to grab her cup and take in a big whiff of the aroma, the steam floating up to her nose and soothing her. She took a small sip, her tongue screaming at the heat and bitterness. However, she continued to drink, _refusing_ to add any sugar.

"Yeah, I bet. You've been getting stronger." May's eyes fell to the ground as she clenched her tea cup. She didn't know what possessed her to go all the way out here to visit Ash when she was in such a state of mind. But lo' and behold, she ended up at his doorstep without even thinking things through – but, what was she supposed to do? Her mind was in chaos, and she knew being with Ash would somehow ease her.

May felt as though she could bellow out. She was so _angry_ with herself. She felt so low at the moment, unable to understand how she could screw up _so_ bad. It wasn't just one time either; it was a series of continuous mistakes, one after the other – again and again and _again_.

"I'm sorry for stopping by on such short notice like this. I'm just-" she took a moment to sniffle and wipe away the tears that were just about ready to cascade down her cheeks. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she averted them away from him.

"You're sad cause of what happened at the Grand Festival, huh?" Ash assumed, frowning at the thought.

"Yeah, but it's not just that. It's everything. I barely even made it to the Grand Festival this year…" she trailed off, reminded of the past few months. "Ash, I don't know what went wrong." Her voice was shaky as she placed her cup on the coffee table."I just don't know anymore, Ash. I really don't."

"May, it's not always going to go your way, and you're not always going to be champion. Believe me, I know," Ash began, looking down at the coffee table in thought.

"I know that, I just feel like I've lost my touch. What if I'm no good anymore?" She poured herself another cup of tea, unbeknownst to her, the tea level lowering more and more. Ash frowned at her dejected state.

"May, don't say that. You gotta keep trying, and working hard, and coordinating!" Ash told her.

"But what if I'm not good enough anymore?" There was stillness in the room, the only thing heard was Pikachu's soft snores.

It was then that Ash stood, his fist clenched as he walked to May, kneeled down, and placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes looking straight into hers. Her own eyes widened, feeling as though he was looking right into her.

"May," he began. "You're so talented; you don't even know how great you are. Sure, you made mistakes, but those shouldn't be what break you. You're so much better than that! Things like this happen, but those mistakes aren't what make you, you."

"Ash…" she placed her right hand on his, so lightly, so gently… he wasn't sure what had happened himself until she squeezed it a bit, and he smiled. She hadn't even squeezed hard; it didn't even feel like a squeeze from his perspective, but it was enough to loosen his grip as he watched her slight smile form. "Do you truly believe that, Ash?"

"Without a doubt." He gulped now, because May's face changed as she looked away from him.

"Thanks for that, I really needed that. You think so much of me, there's no way I can let you down," May thought aloud. Ash nodded. She wiped a tear that she hadn't allowed to fall till now, her hands making her way to the tea kettle. May wasn't sure if it was because she felt so emotional, or if she was shaky from before, but the kettle slipped in her hands, spilling everything. The ruckus awoke Pikachu and made Ash jump. She blushed, panicked, placing the kettle on the coffee table and standing to get napkins.

"I'm so sorry about this," she exclaimed, grabbing napkins and heading back to wipe the table before any more fell onto the carpet. Ash ripped a few from the roll, and helped May as well, laughing.

"May, it's alright, it's just a little spill." Ash smiled at May's embarrassed face.

"Still, it's gonna leave such a stain, and I just wasted some really nice tea-"

"It's fine, May. I can always make some more," Ash interrupted, grabbing the teapot and walking to the kitchen. May smiled, a sigh of relief.

She shook her head, giggled some, and walked to him, grabbing the kettle and filling it with water as Ash looked for the tea bags.

"How about I help you?" May smiled as she placed the teapot over the stove.

"Sounds good to me."

May felt as though she lost her energy to move forward, and maybe she had, but she couldn't stop now. It takes time for one to truly get out of their state of mind and regain the strength they once had, and May might not have regained all her strength and will in that short encounter with Ash, but it was all alright.

She was at least reassured; at least she was mollified. That was enough for her, because she had no doubt in her mind anymore that she would regain her confidence.

They had eventually poured each other another glass. The steam had risen just as it did before, only, when she took a sip, her tongue didn't burn from the heat, and she couldn't taste the bitterness.

It instead engulfed her with a warmth she hadn't felt in so long - _anticipation, excitement, relief_.

She stared at Ash, and this time smirked, while he did the same.

Between the two of them, there lied no doubts.

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_AN:_ Hope you liked. xD Basically, this was about how even though you may not have the energy (or the strength to keep going), or the "tea," you have the chance to make more and keep moving forward. :) Sorry this was so last minute, but I hope you all enjoyed! xD If I have any time tomorrow, I'll edit it some more, but in the mean time, I just wanted to at least submit this, but hopefully it's alright.


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